Finding Happiness: Monastic Steps For A Fulfilling Life

July 16, 2009 at 10:33 a.m.
Finding Happiness: Monastic Steps For A Fulfilling Life
Finding Happiness: Monastic Steps For A Fulfilling Life
By Jill Williams

It seems there are enough books about finding happiness to fill an entire bookstore. Certainly there are enough to fill an entire section. Happiness is something people seek when they are unhappy, and they will look wherever they can to find it. Happiness, however, has different meanings to different people, so how can one book attempt to show everyone how to find their brand of happiness? This book tackles that question and comes up with a definition of happiness that may not meet everyone's needs, but attempts to clarify what happiness truly means, and what it is comprised of.

For example, we all know money does not bring happiness. Well, it does for a time, but ultimately, having money does not make someone happy. Nor do material possessions fulfill the happiness quotient. If having money and possessions were what made people happy, then monks would be the saddest people on the planet. The very opposite is true. Monks rank among the happiest people in the world. Why? That is the essence of this book. Finding happiness is a search for a pure heart. The author explains what this is and why all spiritually healthy individuals strive for it. Then we get to see what keeps us from having a pure heart: the negative thoughts that are present within us all. These thoughts come from 8 different sources, 7 of which you may have heard of called the "seven deadly sins."

The eighth of the Thoughts is touched on first because the author feels it has done the most damage in contemporary culture. The eighth Thought is acedia. Acedia can be described as spiritual carelessness or apathy. It is the lack of care of the inner self, the failure to continue to search oneself for ways to improve one's self, the boredom of the soul in a way. It prevents a person from really connecting to others, or even from praying. The author tells us how monks deal with acedia, and what to do to heal oneself from it. The same is true of the other seven Thoughts: the author explains them, demonstrates how monks deal with them, and how to prevent them from causing you unhappiness.

The author is abbot of a Benedictine monastery in Sussex. He is President of the International Commission on Benedictine Education. He is also the author of Finding Sanctuary.